After 200 years, a 'brutal' hanging is being marked

In short:

The deaths of two Aboriginal men have been commemorated in Hobart on the 200th anniversary of their execution.

A historian says the "brutal" display came after an "unfair" trial where the men would not have been unable to defend themselves.

What's next?

The lack of acknowledgement of Aboriginal history at the site of the execution has been criticised by the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre.

Two centuries have now passed since a pair of Aboriginal men were hanged in the centre of Hobart, in what a historian described as a "brutal" display in front of a crowd of onlookers.

The two men, who were nicknamed Dick and Jack by the colonists, were arrested on the state's east coast following a stockkeeper being speared to death in the 1820s.

Naomi Parry Duncan, a historian who has spent decades researching this period of Tasmania's past, said the arrests came amid a "wave of attacks" between colonists and Aboriginals.

"It's very hard to say what happened because there's a lot of murky record-keeping at the time," Dr Duncan said.

"Whether they actually did the killing themselves or were just with a group of people that did, that's another question that's never answered in the records."

Documents from the time showed the two men were put on trial in the Supreme Court in 1826, with an all-white jury of military and ex-military officers finding them guilty.

Dr Duncan said the trial would have been "very unfair", as the two men would have spoken very little English and would not have been able to defend themselves.

"The men would have had no understanding of what was happening — there was never any interpreter provided,"she said.

They were then hanged in the Hobart Town Gaol, with eyewitness accounts and newspaper reports detailing their fear in the lead-up to their deaths.

Jack was crying and protesting loudly while Dick, who was the older man, had to be tied to a chair as he was unable to walk due to a skin condition, according to Dr Duncan.

"That absolutely nauseated the Hobart witnesses … because they just couldn't see that this was in any way just or fair," Dr Duncan said.

"You were supposed to be able to stand fit to be able to take your punishment … but in this case they just did literally get it done in the most brutal way they could."

Dr Duncan said the incident, which ultimately resulted in Aboriginal people leaving Hobart, showed "the way that justice went" during colonial times.

'No acknowledgement' in area, says TAC

A commemoration marking the 200th anniversary of the hangings was held on Thursday at the entrance to Hobart's Treasury, across the road from where the deaths occurred.

Flowers were strewn on either side of a black coffin on the building's front steps as Aboriginal flags were held aloft.

Nala Mansell from the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre said the commemoration was "not just about Dick and Jack" but was an acknowledgement of the nation's brutal past.

"They symbolise the thousands of innocent Aboriginal men, women and children who lost their lives during the British invasion of our lands," she said.

There was a plaque across the road from the Treasury marking the hanging of Mary McLaughlan in 1830, the first woman to be executed in the state.

Ms Mansell said it was notable that the death of a white woman was commemorated, while there was "no acknowledgement" of the connection Aboriginal people had to the area.

Former Greens leader says deaths marked 'shameful episode'

Bob Brown, former leader of the Tasmanian Greens, said the hangings marked a "shameful episode" in the state's history which should be acknowledged.

Thursday's event took place outside the Treasury building, part of which was once the state's Supreme Court where the trial of the two Aboriginal men was held.

Mr Brown used his speech at the commemoration to point to a push by the Tasmanian government to create a clear title for the Treasury building site, so that it could be sold.

"I think a just outcome would be to leave it in Palawa and Aboriginal hands, and pay the rent for it," Mr Brown said.

"We can't get those people back, but we can pay tribute to the current Aboriginal community by leaving this land in their hands."

Aboriginal history 'walking map' pushed by Lord Mayor

In 2024, a colonial-era statue of surgeon William Crowther was toppled in Hobart's Franklin Square just hours before a decision was due to be handed down on its removal.

The City of Hobart is currently working "in collaboration with Aboriginal people" to develop a permanent art interpretation to be installed as a replacement for the bronze statue.

Hobart Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds said this had been a "flagship project", but the community was still "really hungry" for more complete stories about the city and its history.

"This was a really appalling time in our history and it's important that we put that information out … so that people do understand there are many sides to history," Cr Reynolds said.

She would like to see the council create a "walking map" of Aboriginal history, to give people the chance to learn more stories like that of Dick and Jack.